Fitness Forum: Interval Cycling Workout 2

Now that December and colder weather have arrived, getting a good workout in often requires doing something indoors. Cycling is a great way to get a good indoor cardio workout as well as mix up your typical gym/running routine.

In this ILWomen Fitness Forum, I'll take you through proper bike setup, an often overlooked part of any cycling class, and provide a cycling profile and music suggestions for a 45-minute session that you can do on any bike on your own.

Bike Setup

There are three adjustments you can make to all spin bikes — two are important for safety and preventing strain on your knees and the other is more for your comfort. Getting the proper seat height and seat fore and aft positioning will ensure you don't place any undue strain on your knees. You should have a 25-35 degree bend in your knee at the bottom of your pedal stroke. With both feet even with each other and parallel to the floor, the front of your kneecap should be directly above the center of the pedal.

You can adjust your handlebar height to whatever is comfortable for you and to avoid any strain on your back. If you're new to cycling, start with the handlebars a little higher up.

Cycling Profile

The Basics: For the purpose of keeping things consistent, this profile will feature five different levels of resistance. A six is a flat road, a seven is a light hill, an eight is a medium hill, a nine is a heavy hill and at 10 is the heaviest hill you can handle while still maintaining smooth pedal strokes.

Warmup: Get your legs moving on a flat road. About halfway through, add a little resistance and take it out of the seat. Move your hands out to the end of the handlebars, keeping your hips back and aligned with your knees, and staying light on the handlebars (also known as "position three").Song: This City (Ft. Lupe Fiasco) by Patrick Stump

Seated Climb to Seated Sprint: Start on a medium hill (8) and build to a 10, spending 15 seconds on each resistance level. Hit a light hill (7) for a 30 second sprint. Repeat for a total of three times.Song: Chasing the Sun by The Wanted

Seated and Standing Climb: Begin on a medium hill in the seat. After 30 seconds here at a borderline breathless pace, take it to position three for a 30 second surge. After a short recovery, repeat two more times, increasing resistance to a nine and a 10.Song: Let's Go by Calvin Harris

Right and Left Turns: Take a 30 second recovery here. Starting on a light hill (7), work just your right leg for 20 seconds. Push down and pull up with just that right side. Then take it to the left side for 20 seconds. Center it out and lift to position three for 20 seconds, taking your pace up a notch. Recover and repeat, increasing resistance to a medium hill (8) to the heaviest hill (10) over the next three sets.Song: We Own the Night (Ft. Luciana) by Tiesto

Resistance Build: Starting on a light hill (7), take 30 seconds on each resistance level on the way up to a 10. Focus in and try not to slow down as you increase resistance. Once you hit the 10, surge out of the seat (position three) for 45 seconds. For the last minute of the song, work back down the hill, increasing speed as you take off resistance.Song: Papi (Ft. Pitbull) by Jennifer Lopez

Seated and Standing Climb: Start on a flat road for 30 seconds. When the chorus hits, take it to a medium hill (8) our of the seat and step it up to a breathless pace. Recover and repeat. For the second set, start on a light hill (7) and increase to a heavy hill (9) and for the third set, start on a medium hill (8) and increase to the heaviest hill (10) to finish out the song.Song: Born This Way by Lady Gaga

Seated Sprints: After a 25 second recovery, sprint on a flat road for 20 seconds. Increase resistance to a light hill and without slowing down, continue the sprint for another 20 seconds. Recover and repeat. On the second set, start the sprint on a light hill and increase to a medium hill and on the third set, start on a medium hill and increase to a heavy hill. Recover for 20 seconds in between each set.Song: Back in Time by Pitbull

Standing Climb: Start on a medium hill for 30 seconds and increase resistance to a 10 for 30 seconds. Take the intensity up on the 10, getting faster if you can despite the increased resistance. Recover for 30 seconds and repeat.Song: Lonely Boy by the Black Keys

Seated Sprints: For this song, stay on a light hill. You'll be here the entire time, so really focus on playing with your speed for the following sprint intervals:
45 seconds, 15 second recovery
30 seconds, 15 second recovery
20 seconds, 10 second recovery
20 seconds, 10 second recoverySong: Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars

Tabata Intervals: Taking it to a heavy hill (9) out of the seat for this song — 20 seconds on, all out as hard as you can go followed by a 10 second recovery. Repeat until you run out of music.Song: I Don't Care by Fall Out Boy

Standing and Seated Sprint: Start on a light hill in position three for 30 seconds. Keep the smae resistance, but hit the seat for a 30 second sprint through the chorus. Repeat on a medium hill and a heavy hill.Song: Start Me Up by New Boyz

Be sure to drink plenty of water and get in a good cool down and stretch following your workout!